NEWSWORTHY
Private-sector test results to account for 20% of national university English entrance exam scores
The Japan Association of National Universities (JANU) has adopted its new English proficiency benchmarks for entry into state-run universities, which now measure English speaking and writing skills, giving high school students a better grasp of the language before entering college. The new standard approved by ...
Foreign Minister Taro Kono urges his newest diplomats to hone their English
Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Monday extended a warm welcome to the ministry's newest recruits, and asked the young diplomats to continue improving their English and other essential skills needed to connect Japan with the rest of the world. "By devoting yourself to studying English ...
Upcoming changes to Japanese university admissions have students, parents and teachers raising their hands to ask questions.
Education ministry panel approves private-sector English testing for university entrance
In a move sure to shake up the nation's English examination system for college enrollment, an education ministry panel has approved a plan featuring a complete shift to proficiency testing by private firms. The envisioned shift to a private testing system reflects the nation's intention ...
Spoken English tests among entrance exam reforms Japan's students will face in 2020
Upcoming changes to Japanese university admissions have students, parents and teachers raising their hands to ask questions.
Australia accepts Eiken certificate as proof of English ability
Holders of an Eiken English language certificate can now apply for admission to hundreds of high schools across Australia. The arrangement follows an agreement between the Tokyo-based Eiken Foundation of Japan and the Australian Embassy, as part of ongoing efforts to encourage Japanese high school ...
The Osaka Prefecture Board of Education is pushing through a raft of initiatives to shake up English-language education, chief among them the introduction of TOEFL at top-performing high schools, which will be taught by an elite group of teachers earning approximately ¥8 million a ...
Design tests to measure priority outcomes
The discovery of fraud in the adminstration of the high-stakes TOEFL and TOEIC tests is disturbing, but the larger issue — which has been given short shrift — is that these tests are designed to emphasize written English rather than spoken English.
Recent news that two of the most popular English-language proficiency tests in Japan, TOEIC and TOEFL, can no longer be accepted for obtaining visas to Britain may have come as a shock to students, parents and test administrators.
TOEIC, TOEFL axed as route to U.K. visa
Two of the most popular English-language proficiency tests in Japan can no longer be used to obtain student visas to Britain due to fraud in the test-taking process.
Firm floats alternative to TOEFL
While Japan looks to make a passing score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language mandatory for university entrance, it should also consider alternative exams that might work better, said John de Jong, senior vice president at Pearson English, a division of ...
Media weighs in on LDP's English education plan
The Liberal Democratic Party has a thing for archery. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's financial policies comprise "three arrows." The symbolism is based on the old Japanese saying, "Three arrows are harder to break." Since "Abenomics" has proven to be a PR success, at least ...
